Spring Equinox 2019: The First Day of Spring

March Equinox Date | Vernal Equinox

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The spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox) falls on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, at 5:58 P.M.EDT. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Enjoy our spring equinox facts, folklore, photos, and more!

When is the First Day of Spring?

Spring begins with the vernal equinox, which always occurs on March 19, 20, or 21.

Year

Spring Equinox (Northern Hemisphere)

2019

Wednesday, March 20, at 5:58 P.M.EDT

2020

Thursday, March 19, at 11:49 P.M.EDT

2021

Saturday, March 20, at 5:37 A.M.EDT

What Does the March Equinox Mean?

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night”—aequus (equal) and nox (night).

On the equinox, the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world.

With the equinox, enjoy the increasing sunlight hours, with earlier dawns and later sunsets. See your personalized Sun rise and set calculator.

Image: On the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the Sun’s rays about equally.

What Happens on the March Equinox?

On the March Equinox, the Sun crosses the celestial equator from south to north. It’s called the “celestial equator” because it’s an imaginary line in the sky above the Earth’s equator.

If you were standing on the equator, the Sun would pass directly overhead on its way north.

Equinoxes are the only two times a year that Sun only rises due east and sets due west for all of us on Earth!

While the Sun passes overhead, the tilt of the Earth is zero relative to the Sun, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (Note, however, that the Earth never orbits upright, but is always tilted on its axis by about 23.5 degrees.)

After the Spring equinox, the Norther Hemisphere tilts toward the Sun, which is why we start to get longer, sunnier days

Spring Equinox FAQs

Q: Is The First Day of Spring Always March 20?

A: No, it’s not always March 20. And your answer also depends on your definition of the “first day of spring.” Both are accurate; they’re just a different perspective. We’ll explain …

Astronomically speaking, the first day of spring is marked by the spring equinox, which falls on March 19, 20, or 21 every year. The equinox happens at the same moment worldwide, though our clock times reflect a different time zone. And, as mentioned above, this date only signals spring’s beginning in the Northern Hemisphere; it announces fall’s arrival in the Southern Hemisphere.

Interestingly, due to time zone differences, there isn’t a March 21 equinox in mainland U.S. during the entire 21st century! Plus, we won’t see a March 21 in the world again until 2101.

Meteorologically speaking, the official first day of spring is March 1 (and the last is May 31). Weather scientists divide the year into quarters to make it easier to compare seasonal and monthly statistics from one year to the next. The meteorological seasons are based on annual temperature cycles rather than on the position of Earth in relation to the Sun, and they more closely follow the Gregorian calendar. Using the dates of the astronomical equinoxes and solstices for the seasons would present a statistical problem, as these dates can vary slightly each year.

Q: Are Day and Night Equal on the Equinox?

A: No, but they are close to equal. In reality, day and night are not exactly equal at the equinox for two reasons: First, daytime begins the moment any part of the Sun is over the horizon, and it is not over until the last part of the Sun has set. If the Sun were to shrink to a starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.’

Q: According to folklore, you can stand a raw egg on end on the equinox. Is this true?

A: Folklore or not, this egg trick sounded like fun to us. One spring, a few minutes before the vernal equinox, several Almanac editors tried this trick. For a full workday, 17 out of 24 eggs stood standing. Three days later, we tried this trick again and found similar results. Perhaps 3 days after the equinox was still too near. Perhaps the equinox has nothing to do with it. Perhaps we just don’t like to take ourselves too seriously! Try this yourself and let us know what happens.

Q: Which Day Has the Most Sunlight in North America?

A: The Summer or June Solstice is called the “longest” day of the year! The date of the longest day actually varies between June 20 and June 22, depending on the year, and the local time zone. By “longest day,” we mean the day that gets the most daylight (versus darkness). See our Summer Solstice page.

How Do You Celebrate the Vernal Equinox?

The vernal equinox signals new beginnings and nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere! Many cultures celebrate spring festivals, like Easter and Passover.

Observe nature around you!

Worms begin to emerge from the earth. In fact, the March Full Moon is called “The Full Worm Moon” for this reason.

Notice the arc of the Sun across the sky as it shifts toward the north. Birds are migrating northward, along with the path of the Sun.

Speaking of birds, did you know that the increasing sunlight is what triggers birds to sing? Cool, eh? Enjoy our Bird Songs page.

Trees, shrubs, and flowers are sensitive to temperature and day-length, too! Since ancient days, people have used them as indicators of when the weather is right for planting. For example: Blooming crocus are your cue to plant radishes, parsnips, and spinach. See more of nature’s signs.

Of course, the longer days bring warmer weather! Both we and the animals around us strip off our clothes and heavy coats!

Ready, set, plant! March is time to start gardens and sow seeds in many regions. See the Best Planting Dates according to your local frost dates.

Ancient Equinox Traditions: The Snake of Sunlight

Scientific explanation aside, our ancestors were more connected to the Sun than we are today. They observed its pathway across the sky; they tracked how the sunrise, sunset, and day length changed, using the Sun (and Moon) as a clock and calendar.

There are many ancient sites that mark the equinoxes (and solstices). One of the most famous ancient Spring equinox celebrations was at Chichen Itza in Mexico. The Mayans built a huge pyramid around the year A.D. 1000. The play of the Sun’s light on it signals the beginning of the seasons. On the spring equinox, it looks like a huge snake is slithering down the steps. Mayans called this day “the return of the Sun serpent.”

Spring/Winter

Ladybugs and spiders,
crocus and snowbells,
robins and gnatcatchers, cardinals and crows
buds on the lilacs, snow on the ground
forsythia hiding and irises teasing.
is it spring or winter, or merely mud season?

equinox

by assuming a certain stance and going thru a series of breathing exercises with correct north, south body alignment it is possible to GREATLY increase your chi (life force) this can be done 4 days a year ( 2 equinoxes and 2 solstices) this can be done anytime however it is MOST effective on these 4 days. been doing this for over 40 years and i assure you it is real!!!

First day of spring

Here in central Arizona first day of spring usually brings on the blooming of many cactus species. In my front yard a beavertail put out its first bloom yesterday. the rest of the plant is heavily covered in buds so it will be covered in beautiful purple flowers by the end of the week.

future Springs

We had meant that for 2001-2100, there hadn’t been/won’t be a March 21 equinox in mainland U.S. But the way the article was written was a little confusing, so we have revised to make this clearer. Past that, there will be times when the U.S. experiences spring on March 21, such as in 2103 in Eastern Daylight Time. Thank you!

Sign of the Vernal Equinox

Technically speaking at the point when the temperature does not get any colder after weeks of the temperature dipping, winter has hit a bottom. Then there should be a sign of a turn upwards from this bottom which can last a while. Signs of the weather changing for the better will be consistent higher lower temperatures coupled with higher high temperatures for the day over at least two consecutive weeks. It is more like a slow awakening of summer and not a sudden rocket blast of upward temperatures or even simply a one day high in the middle of the week.

Signs of Spring in the Pacific NW

Signs of Spring all around with the call of the Mourning Dove seeking its mate, the Raven overhead dutifully carrying twigs over yonder, played ball in the backyard because the last of the 3' of snow has finally melted, the hardy Black-Capped Chickadees flits about with jubilation that they survived that hard winter, the Oregon Juncos are passing through, as usual for this time of year, headed to their favorite warmer clime, the squirrels are dashing about eagerly looking for those peanuts buried last Fall and the Rhubarb is peaking out, yet once again, after a long winter rest.

Are day and night truly equal on the equinox

I have often wondered from the teaching of Buckminster Fuller about the daily rotation of the Earth and not the movement of the Sun that accounts for the beginning and end of each day why scientists and others continue to perpetuate the long since refuted belief that the Sun moves around the Earth. For example why the Almanac explanation that "daytime begins the moment any part of the Sun is over the horizon" instead of the moment the horizon exposes any part of the Sun and "is not over until the last part of the Sun has set" instead of until the last part of the Sun disappears (behind the horizon)?

I think I'm your Uncle Dean

Standing

Brooms will stand by themselves, straight up. A friend told me this, I thought he was nuts. Till the first day of Spring, it worked. Has to be a straight cut broom, not a slanted one. It will stand for about five minutes.

Found the first spider of the

midpoint, not start

Solstices and equinoxes are midpoints, not starts, of the seasons, especially from an agriculture point of view (for most heavily populated areas). Spring started in early Feb here, and is well on its way to being in full spate by the equinox. After the summer solstice, the days start getting shorter. The opposite for winter solstice.

Thank you! Yes -- HAPPY

Thank you! Yes -- HAPPY MIDDLE OF SPRING!! Just like the famous MidSummer is around June 20th!!

If one pays attention to the sun, one will see how strong the rays have become since Feb 8.... I've been FULLY enjoying this Spring for weeks! The warm weather is a nice addition this year - all flowers blooming, trees leafing ... that's a nice early coincidence, but really it's all about the sunlight.... and I REALLY feel that!

I think we do the population at large a disservice by saying that Spring starts this week and Summer doesn't start til June 20th ~ because by then we're already 6 weeks into the solar season.

Once I learned this I finally figured out why I used to feel so sad in Aug/Sept ~ because that time is really FALL, not summer! (Pay attention to the sunlight, you'll feel the difference!) It's also good to know winter starts in November --- it definitely explains the darkness!